Spiral passing system and method for training football passers to make perfect spiral passes

ABSTRACT

The spiral passing system includes a shoulder harness, a wrist harness, and a control strap connecting the shoulder and wrist harnesses. The control strap, adjustable in length, falls from atop the shoulder harness, down the passer&#39;s back, around the passer&#39;s forearm, and to the harness on the passer&#39;s wrist. The control strap&#39;s length is adjusted so that, when the passer throws a football, the strap pulls on the wrist harness, causing the throwing hand to pronate inward, releasing the football with longitudinal spin, as a perfect spiral pass. 
     The spiral passing method has the passer wear and properly adjust the system, particularly the length of the control strap, so that the passer&#39;s wrist is pronated inward, and the passer can regularly throw perfect spiral passes. 
     Using the spiral passing system and method will soon train the passer to produce the same perfect spiral passes without needing to use the system.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The field of the invention is methods and systems for training a football player to properly throw a pass.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Football players who ever need to throw passes must learn how to throw them properly, that is, as perfect spirals, spinning rapidly about the football's longitudinal axis as they travel toward the target. This allows the football to be thrown further, faster, and more accurately, and to be caught by the receiver to whom it is thrown more readily, than passes that wobble in flight. A wobbling pass has the ends of the ball rotating about the longitudinal axis as it spins, or worse, tumbles end over end. The aerodynamics of a perfect spiral pass are vastly superior to those of a wobbling or tumbling pass, which is much less able to cover long distances, to accurately reach its target, or to be caught cleanly by the receiver, than is a spiral pass.

Accordingly, many football players who are regularly required to throw passes devote considerable effort to attempting to learn how to regularly throw perfect spirals.

Many seek and receive specific training as to how to do that, with varying degrees of effectiveness in the teaching, and they achieve varying degrees of success in learning to throw spirals.

It turns out that the most significant contributor to being able to throw a spiral pass is the way the ball is released, and especially the location and direction of movement of the passer's fingers as the ball departs from contact with them. In particular, the pass is most likely to be a perfect spiral if the throwing hand pronates inward as the ball is released.

Some examples of sports-related art include the following:

Blades, US 475,432, shows a shoulder strap supporting a wrist cuff with flexible straps, but does not include a feature that would impart a pronation bias to the wearer's hand. If the Blades harness assembly were altered (for some reason) to promote a wrist twist, such a modification would specifically defeat Blades' objectives

McNee, U.S. Pat. No. 8,167,742, similarly has an adjustable strap affixed to the wearer's thumb and shoulder as a training device for helping a golfer feel the stroke through the tautness of the training strap, but, as with Blades, if a twisting “pronation” moment were to be imparted to the golfer's thumb it would defeat McNee's stated purpose.

Brunty, U.S. Pat. No. 5,222,733, has a mechanical contraption dedicated to maximum use of the wearer's latissimus dorsi muscle, but apparently would countenance neither pronation nor supination wrist action in ball delivery.

Starrett, et al, U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,482, features interconnected strap segments to influence a baseball's spinning reaction to wearer's fingers, but those strap segments only connect the pitcher's wrist band and fingers to one another.

Wolf, U.S. Pat. No. 4,919,425, has a strap interconnected to a basketball player's thumb, which directs a supination motion imparted to quickly separate the shooter's “guide hand” from a basketball, so as not to interfere with the thrust of the shooting hand, but reversing the Wolf structure to force inward pronation of the player's guide hand would entirely defeat Wolf's stated purpose.

Smith, a World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) publication, WO 03/080192, teaches a training aid in the form of a rod sewn or otherwise attached along the shoulder of a football jersey and interconnected by a strap to an arm harness to control throwing of a football, but has no element of pronation.

Torbett, U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,208, focuses on pronation, but his training device doesn't produce pronation, but instead specifically resists it.

None of these contributes anything to what is needed, which is a way of training a football passer to uniformly pronate the throwing hand during release of the ball, so as to routinely throw a perfect spiral pass.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention includes a spiral passing system and method for training a football passer to consistently throw the football in a perfect spiral pass, by connecting the passer's throwing shoulder and throwing wrist, with a strap that tugs on the wrist, pronating it inward, as the football is released, causing the ball to spin longitudinally, as a spiral pass.

The spiral passing system comprises a shoulder harness, to be worn firmly affixed to the shoulder of the passer's throwing arm, a wrist harness, of adjustable inside diameter, to be snugly affixed to the wrist of the passer's throwing arm, and a non-stretchable control strap, adjustable in length, connecting the shoulder harness and the wrist harness. The control strap can optionally be divided into upper and lower segments, fastened together by a locking latch. The control strap is securely attached to the top of the shoulder harness, in a direction that causes the other end of the strap to fall downward and outward behind the passer's back, from which it is pulled under the passer's throwing arm, then is wrapped once over and outside the passer's forearm, and fastened to the wrist harness, which is snugly affixed to the passer's wrist, and rotated so that the strap's attachment point is on the outside of the passer's wrist, i.e., on the outside edge of the wrist when the palm of that hand is horizontal and facing downward. The length of the control strap is then adjusted so that, when the passer extends the throwing arm, the control strap applies tension to the wrist harness, causing the throwing hand's wrist to be gently pronated inward, i.e., in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed by the passer, for the right hand; or twisted in a clockwise direction if passing with the left hand.

When throwing a pass, with the football being held in a normal passing grip and the arm following a normal throwing motion, travelling from above the throwing shoulder and across the front of the passer's body, the spiral passing system causes the throwing hand to pronate in the same inward direction, winding up at the end of the throwing movement with its thumb pointing downward. This movement of the throwing hand and its fingers during the throwing of the pass causes the football to be released with the desired longitudinal spin, i.e., to be thrown as a spiral pass.

After wearing the spiral passing system while practicing throwing spiral passes for some period of time, because the length of the control strap that tugs the wrist harness and causes the wrist pronation is adjustable, the passer can start out with a strong tug and then gradually loosen up the control strap to a point that there is little or no tugging, with the wrist pronation being done naturally by the passer. Eventually, the passer will become accustomed to the feeling of the required inward pronation of the wrist to produce that longitudinal spinning of the football, and will be able to throw the same perfect spiral passes without needing to use the system, perhaps reusing it occasionally while practicing, to reinforce the sensation of the required pronation.

The method of training an individual passer to regularly throw perfect spiral passes comprises having the passer put on the spiral passing system described and claimed herein, that is, affixing to the passer's throwing arm shoulder a shoulder harness, to which is connected a control strap, the other end of which is connected to a wrist harness affixed to the passer's throwing arm wrist, with the control strap hanging down the passer's back, wrapped once around the passer's throwing arm and affixed to the outside of the wrist harness, adjusting the control strap to a length that tugs on the wrist harness, causing the passer's wrist to pronate inward when the throwing arm is extended, such that, having the passer use a normal football grip and a normal football passing motion to throw a pass, the movement of the passer's pronated wrist, hand, and fingers as the ball is released causes the football to spin longitudinally, and the pass to be a perfect spiral pass.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 shows a right-handed passer, with the shoulder harness on the right shoulder and the adjustable size wrist harness on the right wrist, without the control strap that attaches them.

FIG. 2 shows a right arm shoulder harness lying flat, with the upper segment of a divided control strap fastened to the harness, and ending at the length-adjustable upper section of the optional locking latch that connects the upper and lower segments of the control strap.

FIG. 3 shows the adjustable size wrist harness, with the lower segment of a divided control strap fastened to it, and pulled up and back over the lower forearm, ending at the non-adjustable lower section of the control strap's optional locking latch.

FIG. 4 shows the wrist harness affixed around the passer's right wrist, with the lower segment of the control strap fastened to the wrist harness on the outside of the wrist, and wrapping up and around the passer's lower forearm, ending at the lower section of the control strap's optional locking latch.

FIG. 5 shows the view from the front of the passer wearing the spiral passing system on the right throwing arm, with the shoulder harness affixed to the shoulder, the wrist harness affixed to the wrist, and the control strap, with upper and lower segments joined by the locking latch, connecting the shoulder harness to the wrist harness, with the strap dropping down from the shoulder harness, behind the passer's back, inside the passer's throwing arm, then being wrapped around and over the passer's forearm, and fastened to the wrist harness at the outside of the passer's wrist.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION AND DRAWINGS

The invention includes a system and a method for training a football passer to consistently throw the football in a perfect spiral pass.

The spiral passing system comprises a shoulder harness, a wrist harness, and a control strap connecting the two harnesses. The system can be designed for use by a left or a right handed passer; the drawings here show a right-handed system.

The passer wears the shoulder harness on the shoulder of his passing arm, and the wrist harness on the wrist of that arm, both very firmly affixed at their respective locations. The control strap is firmly attached (for example sewn, as shown on the drawing, or riveted) to the top of the shoulder harness, pointing outward and backward, so that it hangs down the passer's back. From there the strap is wrapped from the inside of the passer's throwing arm, over the top of the forearm, and around to the point at which it is firmly attached to the wrist harness, which is located at the outside of the wrist (facing outward when the palm of the hand is lying flat facing down). The length and tautness of the control strap are adjusted by the passer, so that, when that throwing arm is extended, the control strap tugs gently on the passer's wrist harness, which causes the wrist to pronate inward, causing the throwing hand to rotate its palm downward.

When a football is passed with the spiral passing system in place and the control strap tautness properly adjusted, and using a normal throwing motion and a normal grip, the effect of this pronation of the wrist is that the direction of the extended fingers, the last part of the hand to touch the football as it is released, causes the football to assume a rapid longitudinal spin, that is, to be thrown as a perfect spiral pass.

The design, components, and operation of the spiral passing system and method are described and illustrated in more detail below. The listed numbers of each component or feature shown on the Figures have a first digit which reflects the first Figure number on which that item appears.

FIG. 1 shows a right-handed passer, with the shoulder harness 101 (not yet including the control strap) in place on the passer's right shoulder, and, separately, the passer's right hand, with the wrist harness 102 (again not yet including the control strap) affixed around the right wrist.

The shoulder harness, which is worn firmly affixed to the shoulder of the passer's throwing arm, has a short “sleeve”103, with adjustable tightness, that extends part of the way down the passer's throwing arm, and a securing section 104 that extends from on top of the throwing shoulder, wrapping around the opposite side of the passer's upper body, beneath the other arm. Together, these features hold the shoulder harness very securely in place on the passer's throwing arm shoulder.

FIG. 2 shows a right arm shoulder harness 101 lying flat, with the upper segment 201 of the control strap that connects it to the wrist harness fastened to the top of the shoulder harness at an approximately 45 degree angle from the top of the shoulder, pointing downward and toward the back of the harness. (In this case the control strap is sewn to the shoulder harness, but it could be fastened in other ways, e.g., riveted.)

The control strap is a non-stretchable strap than connects the shoulder harness to the wrist harness. The control strap is made of flexible but non-stretchable material, such as woven fabric, leather, etc. It can be a single piece, made adjustable in length by incorporating an ordinary adjusting buckle. Alternatively, as illustrated in these Figures, the control strap can be divided into upper 201 and lower 301 segments, connected to one another by an optional locking latch, consisting of two pieces, a male section 203, located at the bottom of the control strap's upper segment (which in this version incorporates its own length-adjusting buckle 204), which inserts and locks into the female section 303 of the latch, located at the top of the control strap's lower segment, attaching the two segments of the control strap. FIG. 2 shows the upper segment 201 of the divided control strap, attached to the shoulder harness 101, and ending at the male section of the locking latch.

In FIG. 3, the female section 303 of the optional locking latch is attached to the lower segment 301 of the control strap, the other end of which is attached to the wrist harness 102. The upper and lower sections of the locking latch could of course be reversed on the control strap, with the male section on the lower strap segment and the female section on the upper strap segment, but if the male section has, as here, an integrated length-adjustment buckle, it's more convenient for adjusting the strap length to have that buckle on the upper strap segment.

The control strap (single length, or upper segment attached to lower segment) connects the shoulder harness 101 to the wrist harness 102. The control strap's length is adjustable by the passer, using the length-adjustment buckle, whether it integrated into a one-piece control strap, or is a part 204 of the locking latch 203/303 connecting the upper and lower segments of the strap. The version of the control strap that includes the locking latch connecting the upper and lower segments of the strap allows the passer to put on both the shoulder harness and the wrist harness, then adjust the length of the control strap, then fasten the locking latch attaching the two segments of the control strap to test the strap's tautness. If the length of the strap needs further adjustment, the passer can disconnect the locking latch, easily make the length adjustment, and then reconnect the locking latch. When next using the system, the passer can disconnect the locking latch, easily put back on the shoulder and wrist harnesses, and reconnect the locking latch, reattaching the two segments of the control strap, without needing to readjust the control strap length, or having difficulty putting on the wrist harness with the control strap connection facing outward because of the tautness of the strap.

FIG. 3 shows the wrist harness 102, with the lower segment 301 of the control strap fastened to the outside of the wrist harness (i.e., the side of the wrist facing outward when the palm of that hand is facing downward), at approximately a 45 degree angle, such that when the wrist harness is on the wrist, the strap can be directed up and inward on the arm of the passer. In this figure and the next, the control strap has the non-adjustable female section 303 of the optional locking latch, at the opposite end of the lower control strap segment from the wrist harness. As with the shoulder harness, the control strap can be sewn, as shown in the Figures, or riveted, or otherwise securely fastened, to the wrist harness, so long as it is very firmly fastened, and is not loosened by the tugging generated by the system's use.

FIG. 4 shows the wrist harness 102 fastened snugly to the passer's right wrist, viewed from above, with the lower segment 301 of the control strap fastened to the wrist harness at a point on the outside of the wrist, and wrapping up and around the passer's lower forearm, ending at the non-adjustable female section 303 of the optional locking latch.

FIG. 5 shows the view from the front of the passer wearing the spiral passing system on the right throwing arm. The shoulder harness 101 is firmly affixed to the shoulder. The wrist harness 102 is firmly affixed to the wrist, and turned so that the control strap's attachment point is on the outside of the passer's wrist. The control strap, divided into upper 201 and lower 301 segments attached by the locking latch 203/303, connects the shoulder harness and the wrist harness, and is adjusted to its desired length by the length-adjustment buckle 204 that is incorporated on the male section of locking latch. The control strap drops down from the shoulder harness, behind the passer's back, inside the passer's throwing arm, then is wrapped around and over the passer's forearm, and ends where it is fastened to the wrist harness, at the outside of the passer's wrist.

The passer puts on the shoulder harness and wrist harness, connected by the control strap, with or without the optional locking latch. The length of the control strap is adjusted so that, when the passer extends the throwing arm, the wrist strap and the

wrist are gently pronated inward (counter clockwise from the passer's viewpoint) by the tension applied to the wrist strap by the tightened control strap.

When the passer throws a football pass with that right throwing arm, wearing the spiral passing system and using a normal passing grip (variations of which are discussed extensively in available instructions on football passing), and following a normal throwing motion (with the throwing hand travelling from above the shoulder down and across the front of the passer's body), the tension applied by the control strap causes that right throwing hand to pronate in that same inward, counter clockwise, direction, during the throw. The resulting movement of the throwing hand's fingers, with the ball's last contact being with the passer's fingertips, and generally the tip of the index finger, causes the ball to be released with the desired longitudinal spin, i.e., to be thrown as a perfect spiral pass.

Because the length of the control strap, which tugs the wrist harness and causes the pronation of the wrist and hand, is adjustable, the passer can start out with it causing a firm inward tug on the wrist, and then, after using the spiral passing systemfor some period of time, can gradually loosen the control strap, causing less and less tugging, and eventually reaching the point where there is no appreciable tugging by the control strap; and the pronating motion is all being done naturally by the passer.

Ultimately, the passer becomes sufficiently accustomed to the feeling of the inward pronation of the wrist required to produce that longitudinal spinning of the football, so as to be able to uniformly throw the same perfect spiral passes without a continuing need to use the spiral passing system. The passer may choose to reuse the system occasionally, while practicing, to reinforce the sensation of the wrist and hand movement required to produce the spiral.

The shoulder harness 101 and wrist harness 102 of the spiral passing system must of course be differently arranged designs to function on a left versus a right throwing arm.

The control strap can comprise a single length of non-stretchable material, with a built-in length-adjusting buckle. In a preferable embodiment, the control strap comprises separate upper 201 and lower 301 control strap segments, fastened together by the optional locking latch 203/303. The divided control strap with a locking latch can use a non-adjustable locking latch plus a separate length-adjusting buckle, or, in the even more favorable embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the locking latch can itself incorporate an integral length-adjusting buckle 204 for the control strap.

The shoulder harness and wrist harness can be made of appropriate fabrics or other materials, so long as they can be firmly but comfortably affixed to the passer's shoulder and wrist, respectively, with very little stretching or slipping occurring while in use and being pulled on by the control strap. The ends of the control strap can be sewn, riveted, or connected by other means to the two harnesses, so long as they are very firmly and reliably attached to them, allowing no appreciable stretching of the connections when the system is in use, and no appreciable loosening or tearing of the connections over the extended use of the system. 

1. A spiral passing system for training a football passer, worn by the passer while passing a football, that causes inward pronation of the passer's throwing arm's wrist in a manner that results in passes with a perfect spiral.
 2. The system of claim 1, comprising: a. a shoulder harness worn on the passer's throwing arm shoulder, b. a wrist harness worn on the passer's throwing arm wrist, and c. a control strap connecting the shoulder harness to the wrist harness, with the control strap adjustable to a length that pulls on the wrist harness when the passer is throwing a football, in a manner that causes the wrist to pronate inward as the football is released, so that the football is thrown as a perfect spiral pass.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the control strap includes a length-adjusting buckle, by which the control strap is adjusted to the length that causes such pronation of the wrist and throwing of a spiral pass.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the control strap is divided into an upper segment attached to the shoulder harness, and a lower segment attached to the wrist harness, with the two segments connected to each other by a locking latch with two separable sections, that allows those two control strap segments to be detached from and reattached to each other when desired.
 5. The system of claim 4, wherein the length-adjusting buckle of the control strap is an integral part of one of the two separable sections of the divided control strap's locking latch.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the length-adjusting buckle of the control strap is an integral part of the upper one of the two separable sections of the locking latch, which is attached to the upper segment of the control strap.
 7. A spiral passing system for training a football passer to throw a football as a perfect spiral pass, comprising: a. a shoulder harness affixed to the passer's throwing arm shoulder, b. a wrist harness affixed to the passer's throwing arm wrist, and c. a control strap of adjustable length, attached to the top of the shoulder harness, at an approximately 45 degree angle outward from the shoulder and toward the passer's back, so that the control strap can hang down the passer's back, can be pulled through the space between the passer's body and throwing arm, can be wrapped once around the throwing arm, and can be attached to the wrist harness at the outside of that wrist, at an approximately 45 degree angle back up the arm, and can be adjusted to a length such that when the throwing arm is extended, tension produced by the control strap causes the wrist harness and wrist on the throwing arm to pronate inward, such that, when the passer is throwing a football, the movement of the throwing arm's hand and fingers as the football is released causes the football to be thrown with a longitudinal spin that allows the passer to throw a perfect spiral pass.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the control strap is divided into an upper segment attached to the shoulder harness and a lower segment attached to the wrist harness, with the two segments connected to each other by a locking latch with two separable sections, an upper section attached to the upper segment of the control strap and a lower section attached to the lower segment of the control strap, that allows those two control strap segments to be detached from and reattached to each other when desired.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the length-adjusting buckle of the control strap is an integral part of one of the two separable sections of the locking latch.
 10. The system of claim 9, wherein the length-adjusting buckle of the control strap is an integral part of the upper section of the locking latch.
 11. A spiral passing method for training a football passer, comprising the passer wearing, while passing a football, a spiral passing system that causes inward pronation of the passer's throwing arm wrist in a manner that results in throwing the football with a perfect spiral.
 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the spiral passing system worn by the passer comprises: a. a shoulder harness firmly affixed to the passer's throwing arm shoulder, b. a wrist harness firmly affixed around the passer's throwing arm wrist, and, c. a control strap connecting the shoulder harness to the wrist harness, and adjustable to a length that pulls on the wrist harness when the passer is throwing a football, in a manner that causes the wrist to pronate inward as the footballis released, so that the football is thrown as a perfect spiral pass.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the spiral passing system worn by the passer has acontrol strap that includes a length-adjusting buckle, which the passer uses to adjust thecontrol strapto a length that causes it to pull on the wrist harness in a manner that causes the wrist to pronate inward and the football to be thrown as a spiral pass.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the spiral passing system worn by the passer has a control strap that is divided into an upper segment, attached to the shoulder harness, and a lower segment, attached to the wrist harness, with the two segments connected to each other by a locking latch with two separable pieces, that allows those two control strap segments to be detached from and reattached to each other when desired.
 15. A spiral passing method for training a football passer to throw perfect spiral passes, comprising having the passer weara spiral passing system comprising: a. a shoulder harness affixed to the passer's throwing arm shoulder, b. a wrist harness affixed to the passer's throwing arm wrist, and c. a control strap of adjustable length, attached to the top of the shoulder harness, at an approximately 45 degree angle outward from the shoulder and toward the passer's back, so that the strap hangs down the passer's back, where it is pulled through the space between the passer's body and throwing arm, wrapped once around the throwing arm, and attached to the wrist harness, outside of that wrist, at an approximately 45 degree angle back up the arm, and having the passer adjust the control's strap's length, such that when the throwing arm is extended, tension produced by the control strap causes the wrist harness, wrist, and hand of the throwing arm to pronate inward, such that, when the passer is throwing a football using a standard grip and a standard throwing motion, the movement of the throwing arm's hand and fingers when the football is released causes the football to be thrown with a longitudinal spin that allows the passer to throw a perfect spiral pass.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the spiral passing system worn by the passer has a control strap that is divided into an upper segment, attached to the shoulder harness, and a lower segment, attached to the wrist harness, with the two segments connected to each other by a locking latch with two separable pieces, that allows the passer to detach those two control strap segments from each other, and to reattach them, when desired. 